Coal-loading machine.



T. S. CONVERSE.

GOAL LOADING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.10, 1914.

Patented Mar. 23, 1.915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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Emi...

i". s. CONVERSE.

GOAL LOADING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 1o, 1914.

Patented Mar.23,1915.

F. S. CONVERSEl` GOAL LOADING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG,10, 1914.

Patented M3123, 1915.

5 SEEETSFSHBET 3.

F. s. CONVERSE.

GOAL LOADING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 10, 1914.

Patented Mar.23,191 5.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

F. S. CONVERSE.

GOAL LOADING MACHINE. l APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 1o, 1914.

Patented Mar. 23, 1915A 5 SHEETS--SHEET 5.

assur FREDERIC S. CONVERSE, OF BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK.

COAL-LOADING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented lla'. 23, 1915.

Application filed August 10, 1914. Serial No. 856,023.'

. Binghamton, in the county-of Broome and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements' in Coal-Loading Machines;and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingv drawings,which forni part 'of this speciication.

This invention is a novel machine designed for loading various materialssuch as coal from piles into wagon or other convevanccs, and to screenthe material between the pile and the point of discharge.

It comprises in brief a novel adjustable elevator for removing thematerial from the pile; novel screening mechanism whereby the materialcan be screened and graded; and different grades discharged if desiredat different points; and the screenings separately discharged; and anovel construction whereby the parts may be partially collapsed orfolded when desired. These and other minor features of the inventionwill be clearly understood from the following description thereof inconnection with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one.

practical embodiment of'theinvention; and I refer to the claims forsummaries of the features and combinations of parts for which protectionis desired.

In said drawings-Figure l is a right hand side elevation` of thecomplete machine. Fig. 2 is a left hand side elevation thereof. Fig. 3is a sectional plan view on line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a left hand sideelevation showing the machine collapsed or folded. Fig. 5 is a detailtop plan View of parts of the machine partlv broken. Fig. 6 is a detailend view of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a detail plan view of the hopper Fig. 8 isa detail sectional view of the hopper and screen.

-The operative parts ofthe machine are preferablymounted upon a haseframel .which may be made of anv suitable material, and mounted uponrear wheels 1; and front wheels 1b attached to an axle lc which is-pivotally connected to the frame in the usual manner. Upon this frame 1are mounted -two front standards, each composed of up` per and lowerbars le, 1f, jointed together at is g and two rear standardseachcomposed of tWo bars 1h and l pivoted together Aat 1l, so'

that the frame may be folded or tilted as hereinafter explained. Thelower ends of bars levare also pivoted to the frame as at 1k. To theupper ends of the bars 1, lf of the standards are'attached bars lm andthese parts may be braced by bars ln so as to form a suitable strongandstifl' main supporting frame for the operative parts.

vAttached to the upper end of the bars 11 are bearings 2a for atransverse shaft 2 which extends across the frame as shown; and uponthis shaft is hingedly supported the upper end of an endless elevatorwhich comprises a frame 3 which is preferably constructed of metalbars,'as indicated in the drawings,

and lhas bearings 23X attached to its rear member, which bearings aretransvfxedby the shaft 2 and suspend .the elevator frame thereon. Theframe 3 has bearings 3 at top and bottom for transverse shafts 3" and 3con which are mounted sprocket wheels 3d` and 3e over which runs anendless sprocket chain 3f carrying elevator buckets 3g which descend atthe inner 51de of the elevator and ascend at the outer side thereof, andare adapted when in'operation to scoop up coal, or other material from apile at the bottom, and carry the same to the top of the machineanddischarge it into a hopper 5 thereon. The endless conveyer orelevator is operated as hereinafter explained.

-To tlu lower end of the elevator frame are attached bars 4, see Fig. 3,which may be guided in lo ips 4*Non the rear bar of the frame 1andtliesebarsvmalv be toothed or perforated as indicated iny Fig. 3 to engagegears or spur wheels 4b attached vto the shaft 4 iournal'ed in bearingson the frame l (see Fig. 3) and which shaft may be operatedbyv means ofa spur gear 4d connected by a chain 4e with a sprocket 4', on a. shaft4g iournalcd in bearings on the frame 1,

and having a sprocket 4 driven by a chain le from :i sprocket 4.1 on astub shaft 4k suitablyT journaled on one of the rear uprights of theframe, and which can be operated by means of a crank handle 4m.

ln addition to crank 4m for operating shaftsk I provide a hand lever.-l" (Figs. l and 3) which may be loosely pivoted on said shaft Ilbeside aI notched disk 4P keved to said shaft, and the lever can belockedv to said disk by means of al spring catch .41,

operated by a hand piece 4' on the lever 4 in the usual manner, so thatinstead of using the crank 4m a person in the wagon being loaded mayshift the conveyer by manually operating lever 4".

The lower endof the frame 3 can be swung to or from the frame 1 so thatit can be introduced into a pile of coal, or other material to be liftedby the buckets, and kept in proper operative contact with such pipewithout the necessity of moving the entire machine in order to follow upthe decreasing pile of coal.

The endless series of buckets 3g may be operated by means of a sprocket.wheel 3 on shaft 3 (Figs. 1 and 2) driven by a chain 3m from a sprocket3" on the shaft 2; and said shaft 2 may be driven by means of a sprocket2" thereon connected by a chain 2 with a sprocket 2e on a 'shaft 2d(Fig. 3) journaled in suitable bearings on the frame 1; and shaft 2d inturn may be driven by a. pulley 2x operated by a belt 2t from a pulley2g on the shaft of an electric or other motor 2h mounted on theframel 1. I preferably employ an electric motor where the machine is tobe used in yards where electric power is readily obtainable, but anysuitable motor may be used in place of an electric motor as isy obvious.

The coal elevated by the buckets 3g is dumped into a hopper 5 on the topof the frame (see Figs. 1-2) and -into a rotary screen 5a (Fig. 5) whichis of any desired construction and is mounted on a shaft 5h journaled inbearings ,5c and 5d on the top members of the upright frame. The hopper5 into which the coal is discharged from the vbuckets is preferably soconstructed (see Figs. 2 and 7) vthat there is constantly a quantity ofcoal in the bottom of this hopper onto which the coal discharged by thebuckets drops, so that instead of the coal having to drop upon a metalsurface. it dropsV upon other coal which reduces fracture or breakagethereof. The coal heaps up on the bottom of the hopper 5 until the uppercoal' slides from the top of the pile in the hopper into the end of therotary screen 5a. On the same shaft 5h and surrounding the' screen 5a isa finer o r rotary sieve 5e which is spaced apart from screen 5a bymeans ofsuitable studs 5x, see Fig. 6, and the screens rotate together.The inner screen 5a has a mesh of a size so as to screen out coal, ofany desired size, and the outer screen 5" is so tine that only dust orwaste Will pass therethrough. lThese screens are preferably rotated asfollows: 0n the inner end of the shaft 5b adjacent its bearing 5d (seeFigs. 5 and 6) is a sprocket 5t which is driven by a chain 5E from asprocket 5" on a stub' shaft 5* on which may be a bevel gear 5 (Fig. l)meshing with an opposed,

wagon being loaded, or into bags if desired.

The chute 6 maybe provided With a gate 6 (see Figs. 1 and 5) which canbe lowered when the desired quantity of coal has been delivered to thewagon or bags so as to stop the escape of coal through the chute', and

'if the operation of the machine is not stopped surplus coal will thenpile up in the chute 6 until it begins to escape through a passage 6d inthe side of the chute 6 (Fig. 5) whence it passes into a trough 6attached to the side of the frame, and which conducts the surplus coalback to the rear of themachine and discharges it onto the pile. The coalthat passes through the`s'creen 5a is caught in the screen 5, and thecoarser screenings are discharged from the screen 5 into the mouth of alchute 7, arranged at the discharge end of the screen 5e (Figs. 1-5) andis directed into a rotary screen 7, of ordinary construction, supportedupon a shaft 7b journaled in bearings attached to brackets 1D on theside of the main frame,4

as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. This screen 7a preferably divides thefine coal into two or more sizes if desired which are dropped from thescreen into a hopper 7, which is shown as divided by an interiorpartition 7d into two chambers` each of which may be respectivelyprovided with sliding gates `or valves 7e and 7, so that the differentgrades of coal escaping from screen 7 may be separated and retained insaidcompartments from which they may be withdrawn at will. The screen7LL may be rotated by means of a. sprocket 7h F ig. 1) on its shaft 7*driven by a sprocket chain 7 from a sprooket5u on shaft 5l. y

The tine dust which escapes through the screen 5e is caught in a hopper5l in which it can be trapped and retained until it is desired todischarge same; the lower end of this hopper 5q being closed by a slideor gate 5r, as indicated in the drawings, (Figs. 2 and 4).

When the machine is to be used it Should be backed up against the pileof coal, or material to be screened, so that the lower end of theendless conveyer enters the pile; and then started in operation andwagons or bags can be loaded with the coal discharged from the chute 6a.As the coal pile is re duced the operator, by properly turning mae-,m11

shaft e swings the lower end of the conveycr into the piic, withouthaving to move the machine, until the pile is substantially removed.When the desired amount of coal has been loaded he vcan out off thesupply of coal to the Wagons by lmvering the gate 6,

and can either stop the motor, or withdraw the buckets from the pilebyproperly'turning shaft slk.

lhe endless elevator so constructed that its lower end may be pushed outto swing into the pile of coal as the latter is removed Without havingto back np the entire machine, or more the entire machine against thecoal, is a very useful, practical and advantageous feature of theinvention.

rthe uprightsof the frame might be rigid, but 1 preferably form them insections and pivotally unite them as described so that the top portionof the machine may be lowered or tilted forward, as indicated in Fig.Li, so that thc machine may be more readily transported or drawn undershelter or sheds, or through a doorway. A's shown in Figs. `1 and 2 thefront uprights are formed in two sections pivotcd at 1h and the rearuprights' are formed in two sections pivoted at 15.

Attached to the rear end of the frame adjacent thc bars l* and rigidly'connected therewith are'uprights 8, (Fig. Ll) to the upper ends ofwhich are attached curved rack 'plates S which are curved forward on anarc concentric with the pivots 1j and the forward ends of these racks Sare con nccted to the. front of the machine below the pivots l, asindicated in Fig. el. Journaled in bearings attached to the bars 1i is atransverse shaft 9 on which are mounted spur gears 9a which-engage thesegmental racks or perforated plates 8*.v The shaft 9 may be rotated bymeans of sprocket pinions 9* thereon connected by sprocket chains 9 to'sprockets 9d on a stubshaft 9 attached to the lower portion of the bars1i idjacent the pivots lj, and said shaft 9e is provided with a crankhandle 9i by which itmay be turned.

lli/"hen the machine is in operativev upright condition, as shown inFigs. l and 2, the hars lr lf may be locked in upright position by meansof bolts l which may be engaged with corresponding registering openings1t in the parts lf, 'l'3 of the rear standards (Fig. il and preventaccidental folding of the frame. The shaft 9e may also be locked by anysuitable'means. vVhen however it is desired to lower 'or fold themachine, for transportation or to run it into a shed, the bolts l"should be removed, and thenl shaft v9 turned, by crank Slf, so as tocause thc spur gears 9h to descend along the curved racks 8 and lowerthe operative parts of the machine to the position shoivn in Fig. vfl,the bars l, l. folding toward each. other, and the elevator frame beinglowered to almost horizontal position, as illustrated in Fig. et. To

facilitate the lowering of the elevator frame, l

its lower end may be detached from the bars 4: by removing the bolts 4xconnecting the lower endl of the frame 3 to the bars 4; When it isdesired to put the machine in operative position the crank 9" is turnedso as lto cause the spurs 9 to roll up on the racks 8 and raise theframe to vertical position and in such position the shaft 9 should belocked and the bolts 1E be inserted, thus holding the parts securely inoperative position, and the boltsax'replaced to connect bars 4 to frame8.

The bars le, l at the left hand side of the machine preferably foldbaclwvard, as indicated in el, so as not to interfere with the chute Gonthe left, but the bars le, lf, at the riehthand side of the machinepreferably fold forward sopas notV to interfere with the chute 7 on theright leading into the small rotary screen 7a.

The .mode of operation of the machine will besufiiciently clear fromthe' foregoing description and the drawings. With this ma-l chinethelower end of the elevator is movable to andfrom the pile of'coalbeing loaded, and can-beloperated by the driver in the Wagon, or by aman on the ground. 1t provides a combination loader and screen havingchutes adapted either for loading or for bagging coal. The novel .hopper5 les. Y

sens the danger of the. coal breaking and the trough 6e Will, carry away.the overfi'owv if it is dischaiggcd from the rotary screen 5a fasterthan it can be bagged; or when the valve or gate 6c' in the chute isclosedand stops the flow of coal into the Wagoner bag; the machine'isalso foldable or adjustable in `height as described so that it can belowered to facilitatevits loading onto a car or passing through a door.

The' machine as shown will take lcoal from a-mixed pile if desired andseparate the small coal from the coal to be loaded, and from thedirt andsmaller coal, at the same time it Will separate the fine coal from thevvdirt, and will rade very fine coal such as chestnut ant pea coal; andwill also if desired retain the dirt land dust so that theyard Will notbe littered by the operation of the machine; and because yof thecapabilityof the elevator being projected into the pile of coal it isnot necessary to keep moving the machine up 'toward the pile of ycoalbeingv loaded during 'the process of loading.

hile I'have referred to this machine as a coal loader, yet it i'sobviously adapted forv use for loading, screening and sorting, sand,gravel or other substances without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention. That I claim is: 'y l. In a machine of the characterdescribed, the combination of a base frame having vertical uprightscomposed of sections pivotally connected together, arc-shaped rack barsat said shaft so as to cause the gears to ride up or down on said racksto raise or lower the frame.

2. ln a machine of the character described, the combination of a base, aframe having vertical uprights comprised of .sections pivotallyconnected together, are-shaped rack bars at the sides or the frame, spurgears engaging said bars, a shaft rotatably connected with oppositeuprights and carrying spur gears engaging said bars, and means forrotating said shaft so as to cause the gears to ride up or down on saidracks to raise or lower the frame, with a conveyor frame mounted on saidmain frame and adjustable therewith, and means for adjusting the lowerend of said conreyer frame independently of said adjustable main frame,for the purpose specified.

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a basetraine having frame. i 1li. In amachine of the character described thecombination olga base frame havingwer tical uprights cornpjlsed ofsections p1vot ally connected"together, arc-shaped rae'` bars at thesides of the frame, spur gears engaging saidi'bars, means for rotatingsaid gears seas-to cause them to ride un or down on said racks to raiseor lower the frame, a conveyor frame mounted on `said main `frame andadjustable therewith,` and means for adjusting the lower end of saidconveye'r frame independently of said adjustable main frame.

In' testimony that I claim the 'foregoing as my own, l atliX mysignature in presence of two Witnesses.

FREDERIC S. CONVERSE. Witnesses:

EnwiN B. REYNOLDS, MAUmoE E. PAGE.

